Berlusconi: Liking girls better than being gay

ITALIAN premier Silvio Berlusconi defended his lifestyle and fondness for young women, telling a trade fair in Milan yesterday it was “better to be passionate about a beautiful girl than a gay”.

His comments sparked immediate condemnation from gay rights group Arcigay, which demanded an apology for causing offence to both women and gays.

Berlusconi insisted yesterday that his government would last its full term despite a new clamour for early elections after he intervened to spare a teenage runaway named Ruby from possible jail time.